Coach Detects Winning Spark In Postseason VB Team

Wednesday - October 17, 2007
By Jack Danilewicz
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Kahuku High's Shanlie Kaulula'au
Kahuku High’s Shanlie Kaulula’au goes for the ball as team-mates Tajana Santiago and Taeja Afalava look on. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

When it comes to the postseason, time to prepare for a specific opponent is limited, but that doesn’t bother Kahuku girls volleyball coach Uila Fotu Vendiola.

The emphasis has been on themselves lately as the Red Raiders prepare for this week’s OIA Tournament.

“Who we play has an effect on us scheme-wise, but we have to take care of our side of the net - we have to take care of our mistakes and play our game,” said Fotu Vendiola, whose team finished its regular season tied with Roosevelt atop the OIA Red East with a 10-2 record. “If we’re playing well, we should do well, no matter which team we play.”

Pairings for this week’s tournament were to be announced over the weekend, but Kahuku already knew prior to their regular-season-ending game with Kailua last Thursday that they would be guaranteed a first-round bye this week. Hoping to earn the East’s No. 1 seed, they will play a quarter-final game Thursday against a team that was to be determined earlier in the week. The top five finishers in the OIA tourney will advance to the Division I State Volleyball Championships next month.


First up, they will look to recapture the assertiveness that led them to a 7-0 start. Back-to-back losses to Roosevelt and Moanalua recently interrupted some of Kahuku’s momentum, but Fotu Vendiola saw those encounters as “a wake-up call” for her team.

“A loss, especially at this point in the season, can be very healthy. It helped us to evaluate what we have to work on. We’re hoping it will drive them to push themselves and each other not to make the same mistakes we made in those matches.”

Defense has been a focal point in practice of late, she said. “Both Roosevelt and Moanalua found their spots against us, and we weren’t able to adjust. Our blocking has improved a lot, and in our transition from offense to defense, we’re moving a lot quicker. Going into the postseason, I saw a lot more fight and desire (in practice last week).”

Championship teams have good leaders, and the Red Raiders will lean heavily this week on seniors Nina Blake, Alayna Galeai, Shanley Kaulula’au and East Red Player of the Year candidate Leilani Tafuna.

“Leilani has been a weapon for us - we’re definitely looking at her to step it up for us - but we can’t really depend on one person. We’re a talented team all-around, and we have to be clicking on all cylinders.”


Rounding out the roster are Sharol Mae Kahawaii, Vaimalama Tito, Taeja Afalava, Taofi Sanft, Tajana Santiago, Tialei Wesley, Lavinia Latu, Alyssa Wily, Elizabeth Blake, Jovan Falemalu, Nile Te’o, Candace Tufaga and Amanda Tonga.

The postseason has been a cause for celebration for the Red Raiders in recent years. Under Fotu Vendiola’s predecessor, Mona Ah Hoy, they won four OIA titles, most recently in 2005, and captured the 2002 state title, the first-ever in the proud program’s history.

“All the teams at that point are starting anew. The regular-season records don’t matter, and it comes down to the team that makes the least amount of mistakes and the team that wants it most.”

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